Beet-harvester.



A. MORISON.

BEET HARVESTER.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 16 l ,O90,87 l

1912. RENEWED AUG. 21, 1913.

Patented Mar. 24, 1914 ewm'mwum.

' comm! PLANOGRAPH CO..WASHINGTCIN, D. c.

STAiE ALEXANDER MORISON, OF SAGINAW, MICHIGAN.

BEET-HARVESTER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Mar. 24s, 1914.

Application filed August 16, 1912, Serial No. 715,347. Renewed August21, 1913. Serial No. 786,008.

To all w/iom it may concern Be it known that I, ALEXANDER MORISON, acitizen of the United States, residing at Saginaw, in the county ofSaginaw and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Beet- Harvesters; and I do hereby declare the followingto be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such aswill enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make anduse the same.

This invention is a machine for harvesting beets, chicory, andsimilar'roots, and the invention pertains more particularly to improvedmeans for lifting the beets from the ground, for regulating and settingto operate the digger at its proper depth in the ground, and forbreaking up the soil near the beets and lifting them clear of the groundwithout liability of injuring them.

With these and certain other objects in view which will appear later inthe specification, my invention consistsin the devices described andclaimed and the equivalents thereof.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the harvester brokenaway in part; Fig. 2 is a top plan view likewise broken away and some ofthe parts removed; Fig. 3 is an end elevation of the digger and thehinged shoe that protects it; and Fig. 4: is a top plan view of therotating digger.

As is clearly shown in the drawings, the device consists in a land side1 having a plow point 2 at one end and plow handles 3 at the oppositeend. At the top of the land side is a bearing 4 in which is pivotallymounted a draft arm 5, the forward end of which is secured by means of apivot 6 to the hub 7 which receives the axle 8 of two vehicle wheels 9and 10. Secured to the hub 7 is the tongue 11.

Fixed to one face of the land side is a housing 12 carrying shaftbearings 13 and 14 in which are receivedthe shaft-s 15 and 16. Fixed toshaft 15 is a revoluble digger 17, the details of which will presentlybe described.

The forward end of shaft 15 is revolubly supported in a recess 18 of theplow point 2. Miter gears 19 and 20 are fixed to shafts 15 and 16. Asprocket wheel 21 is keyed to shaft 16 and is driven by a sprocket chain22 from a drive sprocket 23 fixed to a shaft 24 that revolves in thebearing 4. To the opposite end of shaft 24 is fixed a sprocket 25 whichis driven by a sprocket 26 fixed to the hub of wheel 10. When theharvester is drawn along the ground, wheel 10 drives digger 17 in thedirection indicated by the arrows, through the connections justdescribed.

The digger is also seen from inspection of Figs. 3 and 4 as rectangularin cross-section, but smaller at the forward end than at the rear end.The increase in size from front to rear, as shown in Fig. 4;, is gradualuntil near the rear end, where the lateral edges 27 of the side members28 are curved outwardly, as shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 4:. The edges 27project beyond the body of the digger and are serrated throughout theirlength, the serrations being for the purpose of breaking up the soilaround the beets. The curved serrated edge shown at 27 in Fig. 1 isprovided to give a firmer grip against the beet and a quicker lift afterthe beet has become loosened by the point 2 and the forward part ofdigger 17. It has a sawlike scraping and cutting action on the soil thatprevents the tendency that the digger would otherwise have, to come tothe surface of the ground, especially when operatm in hard earth. Italso exerts a more eflictive lifting force against the beet. It isevident that the peripheral speed of the rear end of the digger isgreater than at the smaller front end, whereby the beet is lifted fasterand higher as the rear part of the digger approaches.

Another advantage of the serrated edge is that when used in hard ground,the serrations, by cutting somewhat gradually into the solid wall ofearth at the outer side of the digger, reduce the liability of blockingthe machine.

Above the digger and hinged to the land side 1 is a shoe 29 which isshown raised in Fig. 1 and in its working position in Fig. 2. This shoeforms a continuation of the forward lifting surface of point 2. The shoeoverlies the digger 17, the outer edge of the shoe being substantiallyparallel with the axis of the digger, as shown in Fig. .2, there beingsufficient clearance, however, between the upper part ofthe revolvingdigger and the edge of shoe 29, as shown in Fig. 3, to permit smallerpieces of dirt to be carried around by the digger, passing under theshoe 29 and dropping down between the land side 1 and the digger 17. Theshoe 29, however, prevents the bulk of the soil and the beet, which passup from the point 2, from dropping in between the digger and the landside, which might tend to clog the machine. A lug 30 is fixed to theland side, the upper face of the lug supporting the hinged shoe 29. Theshoe may be lifted as shown in Fig. 1, to give access to the spacebetween the digger and the land side. The shoe being hinged to the landside, its free edge may rise and fall, so that smaller chunks of earthand stones if carried up by the action of the digger and entered underthe outer edge of the shoe, will cause it to rise to allow the materialto pass through, thus avoiding obstructing the digger.

To regulate the depth of the point 2, the rear end of draft arm 5 may beraised or lowered and locked in any desired adjusted position. To thisend I provide ratchet teeth 31 around the hub of draft arm 5, and uponthe land side I mount a pivoted pawl 32, one end of which engages theratchet teeth 31. The pawl is spring-pressed by means of a compressionspring 33 so as to normally be in contact with the ratchet teeth 31. Torelease the pawl I provide a rod 34 connected at one end to the pawl andsecured at the other end to one of the handles 3 by I means of anL-shaped hand latch 35, so that pressing the hand latch against thehandle will release the pawl and enable the handles to be raised andlowered soas to change the inclination of the point 2, and consequentlythe depth of digging.

When the pawl 32 is locked in the teeth 31, draft arm 5 serves as arigid part of the land side, thereby relieving the operator of themachine of much of the strains due to jerking, that would otherwise bebrought upon the handles.

Another object in hinging the arm 5 to the land side 1 as shown, is toenable the digger to be lifted clear of the ground for convenience inturning the machine around when the end of a row of beets is reached. Toaccomplish this, the operator releases latch 32, bears down upon thehandles and thereby tilts the point 2 upward until the forward movementof the machine has run the point out of the ground and the rear part ofthe land side is sliding on the surface of the ground. The pawl isthenengaged in the gear 31, and when the handles are lifted by theoperator, the digger hangs clear of the ground.

By the means above described I have produced a simple andineXpensive,-yet efficient harvester that is not liable to clog in heavysoil, that canbe easily adjusted as to depth, and that lifts the beetsbya combined preliminary loosening of the earth and a subsequent breakingup of the soil. Quick lifting of the beets is produced. by the curvedlateral edges of 'the digger.

This device not only rapidly lifts the beets without injuring them, butalso materially assists in subsequent cultivation bybreaking up the soilwhile performing its function as a harvester.

Having described my invention, what I claim and desire to secure byLetters Patent, is:

1. The combination with a land side and a plow point secured thereto,'ofa revoluble digger pivoted at its front end to the rear of the plowpoint and revolubly supported at its rear end in bearings secured to theland side, and a shoe hinged to the land side and adapted to overlie thedigger.

2. In combination with a land side, a digger carried by said land side,said digger comprising a revoluble member smaller at its forward endthan at its rear end, said member being rectangular in' cross-sectionend than at its rear end, said member being rectangular in cross-sectionand having laterally disposed serrated edges projecting beyond thesides, said lateral edges being curved outwardly near their rear ends.

4. The combination with a land-side and a plow point secured thereto, ofa revoluble digger pivoted at its front end to the rear of the plowpoint and revolubly supported at its-rear end in bearings secured to theland side, and a shoe hinged to the land side and adapted to overlie thedigger, and a lug fixed to the land side, the upper face of said lugsupporting the hinged shoe out of contact with the digger.

5. In a machine of the class described, 7

land side, a pair of vehicle wheels, an axle mounted thereon, an armpivotally secured 6. In a machine of the class described, a I outeredges of said wings being serrated, for digger comprising a revolublemember the purposes set forth. smaller at its forward end than at itsrear In testimony whereof, I afiix my signature end, said member havinglaterally disposed in presence of two witnesses. 5 outwardly projectingserrated edges. ALEXANDER MORISON.

7. In a machine of the class described, a Witnesses: digger comprising arevoluble member hav- CHRISTINE A. BRAIDEL, ing laterally disposedprojecting wings, the WINIFRED DEVANEY.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Gommlmsloner of Patent; Washington, D. G.

